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Hunky, Rodeo Star, Stetson Scott is back in town after a five year absence.

Storm McCrory has what he unknowingly left behind,his son

Stetson grabbed her hand. He wasn’t going to let her walk away. Listening to her, his heart tore in two. He knew that it had been difficult, hard even, but he really had no idea. Nellie had tried to tell him, but he never comprehended what it all meant. “You’re right. I should have called. I should have come back. My pride got in the way. My fight with my father got in the way.”

Gently wiping away a tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb, he found it hard to breathe. “There was never one day that I didn’t think of you. I was a fool to leave you and a bigger fool for not coming back for you. I was too busy trying to show my father that I was a winner.”

Storm gave him a ghost of a smile. “You did that. The local paper carried all the news of your wins. There was always a picture of you with a beautiful woman on your arm.”

“And it hurt you.” Stetson didn’t wait for an answer. “I– no one compared to you. I wasn’t a saint, but it didn’t take me long to realize that I left my heart behind when I left.”

“I don’t know if I can believe you. All I know is that we have a wonderful son and I do not want him hurt in any way.”

“You know you’re beautiful when your blue eyes flash like that?”

Storm shook her head. “I can’t think about that or you.”

Stetson nodded and pulled her close for another hug. “Just let yourself lean on me a little bit. That’s all I want.” She smelled of lilacs and he buried his face in her hair. Baby steps were what he’d have to take, but he was not a patient man. “I’m sorry for all the hurt my leaving caused. I’m sorry for all the heartbreak. I can’t believe our fathers did all that damage to your reputation.”

Storm snuggled against him. “That was one thing I could never figure out.”

He felt as though they’d been robbed. They could have been married and who knew, maybe another child would have come from their union. What had he done that made his father hate him so? Storm was left behind to bear his wrath.

Her father had been just as bad. Why throw her out? The guilt he felt went soul deep. He should have stayed. He didn’t know Storm was pregnant, but he should have stayed.

All his life, his dream had been to ride in the rodeo. He was good at it, damn good. Why couldn’t his father have understood that? It wasn’t going to be forever, but the old cuss gave him an ultimatum: stop riding in the rodeo or leave.

He remembered packing, putting his horses on his trailer, and heading out to the McCrory ranch. Storm’s father refused his request to see her. In fact, he told Stetson that Storm had always known he’d leave, that his love was untrue.

It had cut him so deep that he practically staggered to his truck. Then he left. Somehow, no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t get Storm off his mind. There had been many groupies that wanted to be his, but no one measured up to Storm. That’s why taking care of Chrissy came in handy. He told other women that he had to take care of his sister.

Kathleen Ball/ Author A voracious reader, Kathleen quickly discovered the world of romance novels and she knew she was home. At the encouragement of her sister Tricia, she decided to try writing. Kathleen wrote her first book three years ago.